Every kitchen throws food away. The useful questions are how much, and which items cost the most. A waste log answers both: one line each time something goes in the bin, with the reason and the station, valued at cost. After a month you have waste as a % of food sales and a short list of things to fix.
What to record on every line
- Date and item, picked from a fixed list so the same thing always has the same name.
- Quantity and unit: weigh it or count it. Kilos for salmon, litres for soup, portions for prepped dishes, pieces for bread rolls.
- Reason, from a short fixed list.
- Station: cold, hot, pastry, bar or stores.
- Recorded by, plus a note when something needs a follow-up.
The value is quantity × cost per unit. Use the purchase cost for raw ingredients and the plate cost for finished dishes. The menu price includes your margin and VAT, so it overstates the loss.
Use a fixed list of reasons
Free-text reasons are impossible to add up. Seven reasons cover most kitchens, and each one points to a different fix.
| Reason | Usual fix |
|---|---|
| Over-production | Lower the prep par for that day |
| Out of date | Smaller orders, first in, first out |
| Spoiled | Check deliveries, dates and storage temperatures |
| Prep trim | Improve yield, or use trim in stocks and staff meals |
| Cooking error | Training and standard recipe cards |
| Dropped or damaged | Storage and handling on the line |
| Returned by guest | Ask the floor why, every time |
Make it easy to log
Keep a printed sheet or a tablet, and a scale, next to the bin. Log waste as it happens. Nobody remembers on Friday what went in the bin on Tuesday. Whoever clears the walk-in at close logs what comes out of it.
A month of waste, worked through
September at the sample bistro: 116 entries and €679.27 of waste, against €40,500 of food sales net of VAT. That is 1.68% of food sales. The alert line is set at 2%, so the month is marked OK. At this rate it is still over €8,000 a year in the bin.
| Item | Wasted | Reason | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braised beef | 66 portions | Over-production | €171.60 | 25.3% |
| Salmon fillet | 4.2 kg | Spoiled | €88.20 | 13.0% |
| Cream | 16.2 L | Out of date | €68.04 | 10.0% |
| Returned main course | 12 plates | Returned by guest | €54.00 | 7.9% |
| Mixed leaf salad | 73 portions | Over-production | €51.10 | 7.5% |
| Bread rolls | 188 pieces | Out of date | €41.36 | 6.1% |
By reason, over-production leads with €277.05 (40.8%), then spoiled at €150.60 (22.2%) and out of date at €147.90 (21.8%). Those three make up 85% of the month. By station, the hot section accounts for €319.55 (47%) and stores for €156.24 (23%).
What to change
- Braised beef. Twelve entries, all over-production. The best seller is being prepped for a busier week than the bistro has, and the two Tuesdays in the log alone account for 24 portions. Lower the Tuesday prep par and watch the next two weeks.
- Salmon. Spoiled in stores five times, and one delivery arrived with a short date. Check dates on arrival, ask the supplier for longer shelf life, and order smaller quantities more often.
- Cream. 16.2 litres out of date. Order to a par, rotate first in, first out, and check whether a smaller pack suits your usage.
- Salad and bread rolls. Small amounts each time, 15 entries each. Dress salad closer to service and order bread to the day's expected covers.
- Returned dishes. Twelve plates came back. Write the reason for each one in the notes column, then the head chef and the floor lead look for a pattern.
Review it once a week
Go through the log with the kitchen team every week. Fifteen minutes is enough. Agree one fix per top item, give it an owner, and check next month whether its value dropped. When a top item falls off the list, the next one moves up.
Log it and see the month in one sheet
The Waste Log holds a list of the items you throw away most often, each with its unit and cost per unit. On the log, staff choose the item, reason and station from drop-down lists and enter the quantity, and the value is calculated. Enter your monthly food sales on Settings, and the Monthly Summary shows total waste, waste as a % of food sales against your alert level, the cost by reason and by station, and the ten most expensive waste items. It works in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
Related
- Read: How to Set Prep Par Levels
- Read: Monthly Stock Take and Food Cost Variance
- Also useful: Daily Prep & Par List, set pars by day so over-production shrinks
Every template in Restaurant Notes is in the Complete Restaurant Collection: 25 tools in one download.